Buddy Mikaere says walking up Mauao is a special part of his day. Photo / File
Buddy Mikaere says walking up Mauao is a special part of his day. Photo / File
COMMENT: One of my special joys is my morning walk up Mauao. I like going up pre-dawn and then catching the sunrise. I've seen it hundreds of times now but the way the sun explodes out of the eastern sea never fails to make me do a mental Aaaah!
Trudgingup the 4WD track – I can't do the stairs because of my dickey knee – and having a ruru encounter is also something special. There are a pair of the birds on the western side that call to each other and if they are not both in those trees one or them is often across the channel on Matakana Island.
The other bird encounter joy comes from the tui with sleepy chuckles and warbles at that time of the morning. Tui have two voice boxes which is what gives them that amazing range of notes. Sometimes they sing songs which quiver in the darkness like the notes you sometimes get from striking a crystal glass. Vibrant and pure. Sometimes you meet noisy kaka – I think they fly across from Tuhua (Mayor Island).
The hike up the hill can tell you a lot about the human condition; I learn a lot from the people I meet, and it is a game that I play to distract me from the calves and thigh muscles burn.
The first thing you notice is that there is a general camaraderie amongst the early morning hikoi people. This is my group. I'm guessing that like me they are doing it for fitness and health, often in pairs, gossiping away in the half light. Many of them have become my acquaintances and we greet each other with warmth. Kia ora, morena or good morning greetings are given and reciprocated. Mostly. Some grumpy, joyless souls might respond with a grunt if you're lucky.
Some, I'm guessing newbies mostly, look at you but don't say anything. Clearly exchanging greetings for them is something strange and unexpected. I feel a moment of rejection but put it down to something I call "Auckland Refugee syndrome" and rationalise it by thinking hey, these people don't understand our Tauranga Mauao "culture" yet!
Then there are the guys I call The Ninjas. In shorts and tank tops regardless of temperature – usually heavily tattooed – running up the track like the grim reaper in pursuit of his next victim. I've learned not to greet these machismo guys.
The next group are the "sports" – mostly young-ish men and women, fit and athletic, making me envious of their youth and vigour running up the hill – they will usually giggle greetings.
Many people find joy in walking up Mauao first thing in the morning. Photo / File
Next, a group I call the "Jenny Craigs" – overweight people doing something about their weight problem – mostly female and Maori - cheerful though puffing hard – I always try and say something encouraging to these good souls.
One other group is the litter wombles – all men – plastic bag in one hand and litter picker in the other. They ensure the tracks are kept clear of litter – mostly tissues, cigarette butts (even though there is a no-smoking rule in place following the fires of years ago) and plastic drink bottles.
The last group are the young tourists – their squeals of delight at that awesome view give them away. I can see why they squeal. The sweep of the beach down past Papamoa and the distant lights of Maketu and out past the ships waiting patiently in the roadstead and across the sea to Tuhua (Mayor Island), Motiti and beyond to the horizon is always breathtaking. Sometimes Whakaari (White Island) stands out with a steam plume from its crater.
Last year something like 1.4 million people either climbed up or walked around Mauao. The figure is growing every year. Fortunately, we don't have the weather conditions that led to the tragedy on Mt Everest this past week, but I know that at peak times of the day it is shoulder to shoulder going up the more popular tracks. A time is coming when something will need to be done; if only for safety reasons.
A lot of men I know find their quiet contemplation time in activities such as fly fishing. Personally, I don't find standing thigh deep in icy water particularly contemplative but there you go. Trudging up the track I get a lot of my contemplation done; reviewing what's gone, thinking about what's happening today and what next week might look like. Of all the benefits from these morning walks that is the one that is the one I value the most. It's my free time.
Viewed from sea level our maunga Mauao has an imposing physical presence. There is a reassuring comfort in its bulky presence which has stood there for centuries; in its stable solidity, in its utter unawareness of you… I'm just a small bug crawling around its slopes. I like the humbleness that comes with that thought. It's probably the closest I will get to a spiritual experience with our city's marker.
